I asked for Messages of Peace from people of different faiths and walks of life, and the intention was to carry these messages with me as I walked, both physically, and also virtually through this website. I wore a logo depicting Peace, and I carried a book for people to sign. I set out to talk with as many people as possible, before, during, and after the walk, helping to raise the profile and awareness of peace in the world, and in my own small way I hoped my walk would have some ‘effect’.
“Just as ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped into water, the actions of individuals can have far-reaching effects”. His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.
My planned route took me first to Assisi, the home of St Francis. After that, I walked through Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia, visiting Medjugorje on the way. Then, it was south to Durres in Albania, where I walked the Via Egnatia, an old Roman route running eastwards to Thessalonika, through Albania, Macedonia and Greece. In October I spend four days visting the Monasteries of Mount Athos. From Thessalonika, I visited the Greek Islands of Samos, Patmos, Rhodes, and then across to Turkey where I walked part of the Lycian Way. Continuing eastwards across Southern Turkey I then took a ferry to Cyprus, and walked from the north to the south of the island. From there I took a cargo boat from Limassol to Haifa, Israel. I finished by walking from north of the Sea of Galilee, via Nazareth, Haifa, Tel Aviv, and ended my Walk for Peace in Jerusalem. I then spend about six weeks in Israel and Palestine meeting many groups and individuals working for peace, most of which were connected to the Children of Peace charity. The map above shows my route.
I walked through places closely associated with peace, such as Assisi and Medjugorje. I also walked through areas such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania and Cyprus, which have experienced conflict and difficulties in the past. The situations in most of these places was calm at the time, but close to the surface were the old wounds. And then there was Israel and Palestine.
Charities I linked up with were:
Children of Peace a UK based charity that offers a non-partisan approach to conflict resolution in the Middle East. It acts as an intermediary and focuses on building alliances with like minded organisations that work with both Israeli and Palestinian children to build positive relationships. http://www.childrenofpeace.org.uk.
“If we are to create peace in our world, we must begin with our children”. Mahatma Gandhi
Postcards for Peace, a UK based charity which provided the dove logo that I wore as I walked. Their mission is to improve the wellbeing of those people, around the world, whose lives are affected by violence or prejudice, by promoting change and offering hope, support and compassion. http://www.postcardsforpeace.org.
In 2014 I walked from London to Rome for the Alzheimers Society and the Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy Charity, raising almost £5000. I talked to many people as I walked for three months, helping to raise the awareness of the issues connected with dementia, and also the benefits of music for health.
I started long-distance walking in 2010. Since then I have become increasingly interested in the growing number of rediscovered ancient pilgrim routes, the reason for the rising popularity of walking these routes, and in a few cases, what motivates people to walk for a particular cause.
(www.paulhaineswalks.com is a possible website that I might develop in the future and it would contain information about previous walks and associated topics of interest).
The Walk for Peace was an extraordinary experience and went beyond all expectations. I came back with so many profound and moving encounters and hold so many vivid memories. The Messages of Peace I received filled one book, and half-filled a second. It has taken a long time to process all that happened, and to a degree that processing is still going on. The outcome is that I am continuing my efforts to raise awareness for peace in any way I can find, and I remain excited by the many different avenues that materialise along the way. I remain still hopeful for a better more peaceful world.
Thank you for visiting this website. I am still collecting Messages of Peace, so please go ahead and leave your message on the website, thank you.
Paul Haines
peacewalk2015@gmail.com
Peace Walk 2015 